Controlled drugs and vehicles don’t mix was the message delivered by a sheriff to a 45-year-old local authority worker who had smoked cannabis the night before police arrested him.
Sheriff Gary Aitken heard that father-of-two Gordon Fraser, of Walker Crescent, Culloden thought he was safe to drive on the morning of May 10, 2023 along Barn Church Road.
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But at Inverness Sheriff Court, Sheriff Aitken repeated his warning to all motorists who think they can calculate when drugs are out of their system.
He said: “Some believe they can calculate when they can drive after consuming alcohol and sometimes they are accurate. But with drugs, it is a complete lottery.”
Fiscal depute Adele Gray told the court that police stopped Fraser’s van because a rear door was open.
But when they approached the driver, his appearance was consistent with drug use – red eyes, dilated pupils – and he tested positive for cannabis.
Subsequent analysis showed he had 7mcgs of the drug in his blood when the legal level is 2mcgs. He admitted drug-driving and was fined £600.
He was also banned from driving for one year.
His solicitor Willie Young said: “He was self-employed but is now working for the local authority. This is a case of the morning after the night before.”